This is a long post so you might want to grab a brew.
As some of you are no doubt aware, I reached out to Zelex via email last month in absolute dismay about my 3 SLE dolls. I had 2 first generation SLE’s and 1 second generation but they all had faults which traced back to the overall SLE design.
Zelex have been my preferred manufacturer for a while, I think the level of realism you get for the price point is unbeatable really but, when a £5400 spend results in poor quality failures it really does leave a bad taste in your mouth. My failures were:
165D Charlotte - gen 1 SLE with catastrophic gel buttock failure where the buttocks met the thighs, her splits are 5 to 6 inches long on both thighs.
171C - this was a barely used first generation doll and still had a 1 inch split on her right buttock, in the same place as Charlotte. I’ve since sold Lauren at a massively reduced price because of this defect, she was otherwise pristine and her skeleton was still very stiff due to lack of use.
153B - Rachel - my beloved generation 2 SLE. Whilst her buttocks are fine, her hips are so loose, she now struggles to stand at 10 months old.
I voiced these concerns to Zelex and told them they’ve now lost a customer due to the poor quality, I don’t think catastrophic failures are acceptable when every doll was under 2 years old but, I received a pretty unbelievable reply.
Zelex admitted they’ve got a serious problem with the gel used in some first generation models which eats into the skin surrounding the thigh and buttocks, eventually causing weakness. This was corrected in second generation models but, perfected for the third generation. They’ve advised me to communicate to anyone with SLE’s that having the doll wearing “gym shorts/gym leggings” that fit tightly avoids such splits, rather like keeping a bra on dolls with gel breasts to avoid them sagging. They also confirmed that the 153B generation 2 skeleton sadly did suffer from premature hip wear but, the problem shouldn’t get any worse than it is for me now, they have discontinued the 153B due to this. To my astonishment, they sent me a warranty form and agreed to replace my 153B with the equivalent model, which in my case is the third generation 170A. Whilst I’m not keen on taller dolls for a number of reasons, I think the 170A will be different enough to actually enjoy her and, it’s free. They’ve already dispatched her and sent her on a FedEx priority shipment which is incredibly expensive.
Zelex asked me to share my experience honestly with other doll owners to evidence that, whilst design issues occur, they will look after their customer when this happens which I think is very generous, I’ve known other people have out of the box failures and the manufacturers just turned their backs immediately.
Charlotte needs to be replaced, her buttock split is so bad she’s leaking liquid where the gel has broken down and, as you all know, I’ve agonised over my decision. I’ve gone through every manufacturer assessing options, watching unboxing reviews but, given the way Zelex have responded, they’ve renewed my confidence. My problem then was, agonising over the SLE vs Inspiration, I didn’t want to pay for an SLE to have similar failures in 10,12,18,24 months time and, you cannot remove the gel buttocks from the SLE but, Charlotte is an achingly beautiful doll and I have a huge connection with her.
My decision has been, I will be removing as much of the gel as possible from Charlottes buttocks, then packing the inside with foam before reinforcing and gluing her large splits closed. I’ll then use something like a fabric patch to sit over the splits to give them external strength so, she will be an officially retired from activity and become a photography doll only.
I’ve ordered a Zelex Inspiration 2.0, crucially without gel buttocks, she’s full silicone and I’ve had the ability to spec her exactly as I wanted. So, not only am I waiting patiently for my third generation SLE to arrive, I’ll also have her 162D silicone sister arriving a few weeks later.
I will absolutely be sharing both ladies with you all when they arrive. This way I keep Charlotte & Rachel as they are and, have the 170A SLE and 162D to reduce the strain from both of my older ladies. For the first time ever, I’ll also have twins as I’ve picked Rachel’s head with the new SLE.
I’ve shared everything with you all because, I really believe that Zelex are making an effort to right the wrongs some customers have and, it’s restored my faith enough to buy another doll from them, albeit, a full silicone rather than another risky SLE. If my 170A SLE remains hassle free, I will of course consider them in the future but, only time will tell.
Hope you’re all well, apologies for the long post but felt this was a good thing to share with you all.
As some of you are no doubt aware, I reached out to Zelex via email last month in absolute dismay about my 3 SLE dolls. I had 2 first generation SLE’s and 1 second generation but they all had faults which traced back to the overall SLE design.
Zelex have been my preferred manufacturer for a while, I think the level of realism you get for the price point is unbeatable really but, when a £5400 spend results in poor quality failures it really does leave a bad taste in your mouth. My failures were:
165D Charlotte - gen 1 SLE with catastrophic gel buttock failure where the buttocks met the thighs, her splits are 5 to 6 inches long on both thighs.
171C - this was a barely used first generation doll and still had a 1 inch split on her right buttock, in the same place as Charlotte. I’ve since sold Lauren at a massively reduced price because of this defect, she was otherwise pristine and her skeleton was still very stiff due to lack of use.
153B - Rachel - my beloved generation 2 SLE. Whilst her buttocks are fine, her hips are so loose, she now struggles to stand at 10 months old.
I voiced these concerns to Zelex and told them they’ve now lost a customer due to the poor quality, I don’t think catastrophic failures are acceptable when every doll was under 2 years old but, I received a pretty unbelievable reply.
Zelex admitted they’ve got a serious problem with the gel used in some first generation models which eats into the skin surrounding the thigh and buttocks, eventually causing weakness. This was corrected in second generation models but, perfected for the third generation. They’ve advised me to communicate to anyone with SLE’s that having the doll wearing “gym shorts/gym leggings” that fit tightly avoids such splits, rather like keeping a bra on dolls with gel breasts to avoid them sagging. They also confirmed that the 153B generation 2 skeleton sadly did suffer from premature hip wear but, the problem shouldn’t get any worse than it is for me now, they have discontinued the 153B due to this. To my astonishment, they sent me a warranty form and agreed to replace my 153B with the equivalent model, which in my case is the third generation 170A. Whilst I’m not keen on taller dolls for a number of reasons, I think the 170A will be different enough to actually enjoy her and, it’s free. They’ve already dispatched her and sent her on a FedEx priority shipment which is incredibly expensive.
Zelex asked me to share my experience honestly with other doll owners to evidence that, whilst design issues occur, they will look after their customer when this happens which I think is very generous, I’ve known other people have out of the box failures and the manufacturers just turned their backs immediately.
Charlotte needs to be replaced, her buttock split is so bad she’s leaking liquid where the gel has broken down and, as you all know, I’ve agonised over my decision. I’ve gone through every manufacturer assessing options, watching unboxing reviews but, given the way Zelex have responded, they’ve renewed my confidence. My problem then was, agonising over the SLE vs Inspiration, I didn’t want to pay for an SLE to have similar failures in 10,12,18,24 months time and, you cannot remove the gel buttocks from the SLE but, Charlotte is an achingly beautiful doll and I have a huge connection with her.
My decision has been, I will be removing as much of the gel as possible from Charlottes buttocks, then packing the inside with foam before reinforcing and gluing her large splits closed. I’ll then use something like a fabric patch to sit over the splits to give them external strength so, she will be an officially retired from activity and become a photography doll only.
I’ve ordered a Zelex Inspiration 2.0, crucially without gel buttocks, she’s full silicone and I’ve had the ability to spec her exactly as I wanted. So, not only am I waiting patiently for my third generation SLE to arrive, I’ll also have her 162D silicone sister arriving a few weeks later.
I will absolutely be sharing both ladies with you all when they arrive. This way I keep Charlotte & Rachel as they are and, have the 170A SLE and 162D to reduce the strain from both of my older ladies. For the first time ever, I’ll also have twins as I’ve picked Rachel’s head with the new SLE.
I’ve shared everything with you all because, I really believe that Zelex are making an effort to right the wrongs some customers have and, it’s restored my faith enough to buy another doll from them, albeit, a full silicone rather than another risky SLE. If my 170A SLE remains hassle free, I will of course consider them in the future but, only time will tell.
Hope you’re all well, apologies for the long post but felt this was a good thing to share with you all.
